Posts tagged ‘Nexus 9’

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It’s no secret that the Nexus 9 has failed to gain the same type of attention as its predecessor, the Nexus 7, largely due to a high price tag and some pretty big bugs upon initial release. Thankfully, patches have fixed the performance issues, and pricing has gone down a little too over time.

Still feel like Google and HTC are asking too much? In Celebration of Valentine’s Day you can get the 16GB Nexus 9 for just $239, the 32GB Wi-Fi for $287, or the 32GB LTE model can be yours for just $349. The latter of these will even come bundled with a Logitech keyboard at no additional cost. For those doing the math, the Valentine’s special brings a 40% discount to the Nexus 9, and it’s also worth noting that HTC will also offer 40% off from its accessories too. While we’ve seen a 40% discount in the past, the last time was during the holiday 2015 season.

As a refresher, the Nexus 9 is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra K1 processing package, 2GB of RAM and comes with a QXGA (2048×1536) resolution display. A very good choice if you fancy doing a little tablet gaming. There’s also an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.6 megapixel front facing camera for video calls. For a closer look at everything the Nexus 9 has to offer, be sure to check out our full review.

The sale has already started and will end on Sunday. In other words, if you’re at all interested, you better move quickly. Unfortunately, it should also be noted that this deal is only applicable to those in the United States. What do you think, is the HTC Nexus 9 still worth picking up?

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Are you looking for a tablet for your Valentine? HTC is having a massive, limited-time sale to help you pick one up at a great price.

For today only you can pick up an HTC Nexus 9 for 40 percent off! This brings the cost down to be very competitive with even the best priced tablets. Here’s how all the prices break down:

16 GB WiFi – $239

32 GB Wifi – $287

32 GB Wifi + LTE – $359

The 16 GB Wifi version has been going in and out of stock (probably due to this sale), so you may want to save yourself some time and pick up the 32 GB version if it fits into your budget.

But wait, there’s more

In addition to the 40 percent discount, you’ll receive a Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard when you purchase the 32 GB Wifi + LTE version of the Nexus 9. This is not the same Folio Keyboard offered by HTC that showed up in some advertisements last year.

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The Nexus 9, which was launched in late 2014, is still being sold as Google has positioned the Pixel C as a high-end tablet belonging to another line that is just getting started. So, for people wanting an premium-yet-affordable tablet with stock Android, the Nexus 9 remains the most logical choice (unless you’re a gamer).

When the tablet hit the market, pricing started at $399 for a base model with 16GB of internal storage. And the 32GB model raised the price up to $479. Need a LTE signal for use away from a WiFi connection? The LTE model that comes with 32GB of internal storage is priced at $599. Today, though, you can save big on any model of the Nexus 9. Through HTC’s weekly Hot Deals promotion, the Nexus 9 has a 40% discount and a free Logitech keyboard is being included if you get the LTE model.

Google and HTC’s Nexus 9 features an 8.9-inch LPS LCD display, NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor with 2GB of RAM, 8MP / 1.6MP cameras, and dual front-facing BoomSound stereo speakers. And, at its core, the tablet has Android 6.0 Marshmallow along with all of the latest security patches pushed monthly by Google.

Here’s the pricing breakdown:

16GB WiFi-only (Indigo Black, Lunar White): $239.40

32GB WiFi-only (Indigo Black, Lunar White): $287.40

32GB LTE (Indigo Black): $359.40 w/ free Logitech keyboard

It seems that, if you’re interested, get over to HTC’s website right away and order the tablet because units are already selling out. The 16GB WiFi-only models are completely out of stock; therefore, people are going to be rushing to the next storage size.

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Despite a number of smartphone manufacturers offering improved audio hardware in their latest smartphones, Android’s software latency has historically been very poor, preventing many professional audio applications from making their way to the hugely popular mobile platform. However, the folks over at Superpowered have gone back to have a look at Android Marshmallow’s round trip audio latency and there appear to have been a number of improvements.

Before we go any further, round-trip audio latency is very important for real time applications, as users don’t want to have to contend with a noticeable delay when recording, editing or playing back content. Round-trip refers to the time it takes for audio to enter the system, be put into software for processing, and then put back out from a speaker or headphone jack. Human delay perception ends at under 20ms (milliseconds), so the latency of any real time system should be below this figure, with 10ms being the target that is perceived as instantaneous.

Shutterstock You won’t be using Android for live music effects unless latency reaches less than 20ms.

Previous testing on Android KitKat and Lollipop devices revealed round-trip latency figures in the hundreds of milliseconds, resulting in a very noticeable delay and making the operating system useless for real-time applications. Even the best Android devices struggled to go lower than 40ms. However, Google has made some major improvements with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, allowing for figures in the sub-20ms range. The Nexus 6P clocks in at 18ms, while the Nexus 9 manages 15ms.

Google appears to have made two notable changes with Marshmallow: a smaller ring buffer size and a new professional audio flag feature. The buffer size has been chopped in half to 128 samples. A buffer stores a selection of samples before these are all sent off into the system together and a smaller buffer means that the whole system updates much more frequently. Buffers and batch processing are often more efficient than sample by sample transfers and processing, so there are trade-offs to find the ideal buffer size.

This smaller buffer saving halves the latency throughout the ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) and AudioFlinger sections for both input and output paths, making a noticeable difference to the round-trip times. The graphics below show the audio paths and times recorded with the Nexus 9 tablet.

Android Marshmallow (API 23) also introduces a new FEATURE_AUDIO_PRO flag for developers to look for to reduce the audio output buffer size for the lowest possible latency. A look through Google’s documentation states that devices using this flag must offer 20ms or less round-trip latency and should aim for 10ms. USB audio class devices are also supported through USB host mode, so low latency USB add-ons are now also a practical possibility.

As an added bonus, Android now also supports MIDI as part of the Professional Audio package. Although, this hasn’t been implemented into the native layer. This flag marks a major effort to differentiate Android devices that are capable of professional audio applications, and is a major improvement over the FEATURE_AUDIO_LOW_LATENCY flag from the Gingerbread days, which offers at best a 50ms round-trip.

If you’re interested, Superpowered offers a very detailed explanation of how this all breaks down, including a look at the slightly different latency results when using built-in and external hardware. Android still has a number of issues, but the situation is gradually improving for real-time professional audio.

Previously we have seen that Google’s Nexus devices have been the better performers when it comes to audio latency and this latest testing hasn’t yet shown if these improvements can and have been applied to other Marshmallow powered devices. Google states that only the Nexus 5X, 6P and 9 are “Pro Audio” Nexus devices, so there are probably some hardware requirements in addition to Marshmallow’s software improvements.

Samsung, which offers its own Audio SDK to tap into low latency audio, will be releasing a Samsung Professional Audio SDK 3.0 with its upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone, which will hopefully match these Nexus results. We will just have to wait and see if other manufacturers support these improved features. Still, there are promising signs that Android may eventually be useful as a real-time audio platform.

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HTC is no stranger to holding sales on its online site. However, they typically go quick, and the sale today is no exception. For HTC’s first Hot Deals of the new year, it is letting you save on any device across its online store. The more you spend, the more you’ll save, up to 30%.

Here’s how it works:

Save 30% when you spend $650

Save 20% when you spend $500

Save 15% when you spend $150

In other words, if you spring for a One M9, you’ll get $195 knocked off of the $650 retail price. Or being that the recently released One A9 goes for $500, that’ll drop down to $400. We also can’t forget that HTC manufactured last year’s Nexus 9 tablet, so that’s available on the site as well.

These sales go quick, so better get on it if you’ve been eyeing an HTC device. You have only through today, 11:59 p.m. PT to benefit from it.

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Android 6.0.1 has only just hit a range of Nexus devices in the past 24 hours, so users are still discovering a few new hidden extras packed into the update. While the chief feature of the update was touted as new emoji support, the update has also brought a double-tap power camera shortcut to the Nexus 5, 6, 7 (2013) and 9, along with tweaks to the Do Not Disturb mode.

This double tap power button camera shortcut originally appeared with the new Nexus 5X and 6P models, but now a wider number of Nexus owners can quickly launch their camera when the screen is off, which is bound to come in useful when you really quickly need to capture a picture.

Another not so new feature in Android 6.0.1 is the reintroduction of “until next alarm” feature to the OS’ Do Not Disturb notification mode. Rather than manually having to mute and unmute system sounds, this mode can be used to automatically unmute notifications once your alarm goes off in the morning. Another pretty useful addition.

As with all software updates, you can either wait for the update to roll out to your device – which can take days or weeks depending on where you are – or you can download the factory image from the Google Developers website and flash it yourself. In case this is your first time, flashing a factory image will wipe everything on your device, so make sure to backup everything before you attempt anything – otherwise, you might be better off waiting for the OTA (over-the-air) update.

Are you excited to see the factory images for Android 6.0.1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Google has published the factory images for the long-awaited Android 6.0.1 update for the Nexus 5, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Nexus 7, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player. The upgrade brings a brand new Emoji set to these devices, in addition to the latest security patch which is targeted at resolving any critical issues present in the open-source operating system.

Hit the source link below to download the factory images from the official Google Developer Blog for manual flashing. Alternatively, you can wait for the OTA to start rolling out, which should start soon.

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Earlier, we told you about the deals running on the United Kingdom version of the Google Store. Now we’re back to tell you that the Google Store in the United States has its own take on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You’ll be able to get phones, tablets, smartwatches, Chromebooks, and a lot more at a discounted price from Google.

Designed for work and play, the Nexus 9 features a just-right 8.9” screen with front-facing speakers for rich music and audio. 64-bit processor drives productivity and play to new levels, with intuitive voice commands and automatic Android updates that keep you on the cutting edge. Total device integration makes it mobile and access to over a million apps makes it amazing. Meet Nexus 9: For movers and makers.

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Auto recording after powered provides a convenient use; seamless loop recording plus the G-sensor detecting any impact and auto locking the important video segments, you will never miss an important moment.

2.7″ TFT LCD display supports video and image playback, and offers an easy setup convenience. Support a timeout function that turns the display off after the recording begins so you won’t be disturbed by another glowing rectangle on your windshield.